Soulèvement du Mauvais
by The Vampyre's Widow
Summary: For the Peace of Earth and Colonies, Duo and Heero must lay everything on the line. 1x2 YAOI R&R ONEGAI! Chapter 4 up!
1. Chapter I

**Authors Note: **Heyla! Welcome to Ourania's and I's joint story. Ourania-san wishes to express that her Duo might be a little OOC. However, I think he's fine, but that's up to you to judge. We hope you like it, and will read future chapters.

**Warnings: **Yaoi/Shounen-ai, Ranting Heero, Violence, Swearing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Wing/Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz…if I did I'd make Heero and Duo porn

Soulèvement du Mauvais

Chapter I

By The Vampyre's Widow

&

Ourania

The dark-haired brunette sat before his beloved laptop. His long fingers were poised over the keys, but didn't move. He had no idea how to start this report. The mission had been relatively easy, a reconnaissance mission with Deathsycthe's Pilot. He'd never say it willingly, but for those missions he preferred having Duo with him then the others.

Duo was toying absently with a weapon that had jammed during the latest mission, muttering under his breath at the misfortune he'd been experiencing as of late. Heero was distracted with the same damn laptop that he always used, so the teen was determined to appear busy as well.

A rare sigh was issued from the Preventers lips, his Prussian blues closing. Damn, it was so hard to think right now. He wasn't tired, he wasn't hungry, and of course his body ached from the various bruises and scratches it had received. Which was nothing new. He had set his own leg and walked on it seconds later. Pain was no stranger. So why couldn't he write?

The braided boy looked up when he heard the exhalation, raising a thin brow and smirking. "Tired?" he asked, putting the weapon to the side to rub at a bruise on his ribcage.

"No." The curt response was true. The Perfect Soldier turned in his seat, watching the braided boy. "Are you hurt?" He made to get out of his seat, laptop forgotten for the moment.

He shrugged, removing his hand from his throbbing side. "Nothing a little aspirin wouldn't cure. What about you? Are you sporting some mortal wound or did you already treat yourself?"

The brunette nodded, a little niggling concern in the back of his mind. Normally he would have just ignored Duo and worked on his report unless it was perilous that the other needed his help. They both knew how to patch themselves up, and had helped each other more times then he could count. It wasn't like a few cuts would kill either of them.

Duo looked up, expression one of curiosity when he noted that the other pilot had not gone back to typing up the report. " You bein' lazy or what? Do you want me to do it?"

The Pilot glared at his partner, one hand going back to rest on his laptop. Bedamned if he'd let someone else touch HIS laptop. "No, Maxwell." With that he turned around, eyes finding the flashing bar. Almost instantly all motivation disappeared.

"...Whatever." Duo replied airily, hiding his annoyance at the other boy's actions. It wasn't like he'd have broken the stupid thing; it was a laptop, not a glass bauble. "You're the one who can't type up a frickin' report."

The accusation made the Perfect Soldier bristle. Duo had a way of being able to crawl under his skin and stay there. He was an itch that couldn't be scratched. Heero had tried to get rid of it...but it always came back with a vengeance. With renewed determination, he tackled the report. The sounds of typing filled the room, the slim fingers hitting the keys harder then needed.

At least one of them was getting something done now. Duo grinned and stood; wincing when his ribs protested and he recognized that they weren't just bruised as he had originally thought. "I'm gonna go get an ice pack, you want anything?"

Heero shook his head. He noticed the quivering quality that signaled pain in the others voice. When Duo asked for help, he'd help; otherwise he was making good time on the report.

He rolled his eyes, checking that the other boy was as talkative as ever, and made his way out the door and into the next room where a little refrigerator as well as a few other supplies were kept. He opened the door, searching for cubes of ice and finding only a cooled gel pack. Duo hated the new-fangled packs, having used one previously and found that it leaked all over his shirt.

He decided not to be picky about it, putting the rectangular thing under his shirt and cursing loudly when he found that it was burningly cold against skin. "Christ!"

Heero quickly finished his typing and sent it to Une. A second, shorter email was sent to Quatre. The poor little blonde practically made himself sick with nerves every time his lover and friends went on these missions. It was somewhat endearing, but at times was annoying. He heard the uttered curse from the other, swiveling around again to peruse the doorway.

Duo found a rag and wrapped the pack in it, muttering angrily and glancing down at his reddened skin. There should have been some sort of warning on the stupid gel pack, something about making your skin look like Christmas paper and hurting like hell. Upon closer inspection, he saw there were some small warning labels, but he still wasn't entirely satisfied. Now he was cold and bruised.

Duo made his way back into the room, blinking when he saw that Heero had been staring at the door. He held down a blush, instead making an obscene gesture that involved uncurling one finger. "It was cold, alright?" he hissed defensively, resuming his seat and almost sulking.

The brunette ignored the rudeness, used to it. "Mission report sent to Lady Une, and Quatre." There was undertone of exasperation when he mentioned the blonde. He could be worse then Duo sometimes, with his questions about Heero's mental and physical well being. It was touching, however, since not even Odin Lowe and Dr. J had cared much about that. They only wanted him in working condition. Of course, Duo did it as well. The braided boy was able to drag more literate responses out of him then his usual 'Hn.' when it came to such subjects.

Mention of Quatre made some of the sullen air dissipate, a small smile curving the longhaired boy's mouth. "S'nice of you." he murmured, adjusting the cold compress. "That the last thing you had to do or were you thinking of making out with the damn computer too?"

There was a rare bubbling of what could have been called humor. The Perfect Soldier rarely displayed this sense. Trowa knew he had one, albeit a little crude and even more sarcastic then Duo's. "At least my computer appreciates me...so maybe..."

Duo nearly fell off his perch, a laugh jumping from his lips and amused disbelief in his eyes. "I guess I owe Trowa some money. I swore you didn't have even a smidgen of humor in you and then you crack a joke. I'll be damned... and broke."

Heero smirked, bordering on a smile. "As you keep reminding me...I am human." Sometimes he doubted it. The Perfect Soldier was an easy guise, one he was used to wearing. Being human...that meant having emotions, opening him for pain he wasn't sure he could handle.

The boy shrugged, still smiling. "Someone has to, otherwise you'll probably forget. Though, if you have a thing for technological equipment, you might want to get checked by a shrink. I don't think that's normal."

The smirk spread a little further. "There are recorded occurrences of humans being sexually aroused by machinery." Not that he fell into that category. He loved his laptop, loved Wing Zero. But it was the sort of love that women displayed, usually when they saw something they liked.

No...his tastes ran down different roads. Down one that didn't deal breasts and doe eyes.

"Aw, man, why do ya have to tell me this stuff?" Duo pulled a face, a vision of a woman doing something that was unquestionably crude with a toaster. "And you're smiling, are you sure you don't have head trauma or something? This is abnormal, especially for you."

"And it is abnormal for you to be quiet for five minutes." The brunette logged onto the 'net, hiding the grin on his face from Duo's expression. It would ruin his reputation, not to mention endless teasing from the violet-eyed boy.

Duo's jaw dropped in righteous indignation. "Hey, just because I don't pull the 'I'm a wicked bastard who only talks the second I'm going to kill you' doesn't mean I can't be quiet for five frickin' minutes."

"Then do so." Heero was quite good at manipulating people. Duo could be a tough nut to crack sometimes, but when he left himself open it was almost too easy.

"You're such a... fine, I'll be quiet for five minutes..." His lips curved slightly as he added, "But you have to TALK for five minutes straight."

Heero's eyes widened. Damnit...he stepped right into that. Next time he had to remember to add that there were to be no manipulation of the manipulator. "About what?"

"Pf, I don't give a damn. You pulled that mechanical-human love thing outta your butt, just do it for five minutes." He crossed his arms over his chest, a brilliant grin on his features at having outwitted the other pilot. "Alright, we're starting... now."

"Hn." He had no idea what to talk about. Then he hit a site on the Internet that inspired a calm rant. It was an essay from a university student on politics and the Marimaea Wars. The war was still fresh in the pilots mind, only having ended five months ago.

Duo listened, mouth kept glued shut though his eyes spoke almost as well. They were sparkling with vague enjoyment, not so much about the topic as the fact that Heero had picked that particular instance to speak of. He hadn't expected a description of fuzzy bunnies or girls' busts, but this touched so closely with their jobs that it was slightly disappointing.

Two minutes had passed and the rant was coming to an end. His fingers had been searching the net, trying to find something else to talk about. For a person who didn't talk often, the brunette seemed to be good at it. He blamed Duo.

Duo caught himself before he suggested another topic, realizing it would ruin the wager. He adjusted the icepack once more, only mildly worried that the ache had not abated in the least.

The blue-eyed man blinked as he happened upon another essay. This one about homosexuality and the evils of it. "What is it about humans and their need to believe that anything...that has to do with two people of the same sex doing anything is homosexuality? Two girls can hold hands, kiss and hug, but when two men do the same they are immediately classified as homosexuals."

Duo blinked in surprise, not having expected such a drastic change in the one-sided conversation. He smirked, waiting for Heero to look at him so that he could waggle his eyebrows suggestively. This game was more fun than he'd thought it would be.

The Perfect Soldier continued on, unknowingly growing angry and agitated, till he had to jump up and pace the room. "...if animals practice it in the wild, why can't humans accept it as part of reality? Scientists recognize it with their data, thought the religious leaders condemn it. In ancient Japan, Geisha's were once male, before changes had them replaced by women...Arabian Sheiks kept harems of young men instead of women. Kings kept same sex lovers. Why can't they accept it?"

The boy's grin wilted, replaced by a worried frown. Was Heero really this upset, or was he just trying to make him talk and lose? The latter seemed more likely, but the male's expression and abrupt pacing still made him feel uneasy.

Somewhere in the seven-minute rant, Heero had dropped that he himself preferred the same sex. Relena had been an annoyance, one that he had wanted to destroy, but his high morals and conscience hadn't let him.

The brunette stopped pacing, glancing at the clock. What the...he'd been talking for almost more then ten minutes straight...

Duo was uncomfortably silent, allowing the other pilot to talk himself out while he tried to sort things out in his head. All right, so Heero had no interest in women, that wasn't exactly unusual. But Duo would have been more willing to believe that the boy was a-sexual than anything else and this came as a small shock. What to say to that?

The pilot blushed, a small smear of pink across his cheekbones. He turned back to his laptop and started to hack into a website. Anything to take his mind off what he had said.

This was a day of firsts: He had not only discovered that Heero Yuy had a sense of humor, but also that he did, in fact, have the ability to blush like a normal human being and that he preferred men as sexual partners. Breathe, Duo, it's not that big of a deal, nothing's changed. He reminded himself, trying on a smile that only partially fit and saying in a cheery voice. "Well, I guess it was a tie then. I honestly didn't think you could do it. Good job."

The brunette mumbled something that sounded exactly like 'Hn'. It seemed he was going to creep back into the shell of the Gundam Wing pilot again. A frown was etched into his face, some of it at himself and some at the site he was hacking. The security system was proving to be tougher then it should have been. That piqued his interest.

The silence was both relieving and distressing. Duo didn't quite know how to react to what the other boy had said, trying to determine if it was best to simply ignore it. He didn't want to, for reasons he wasn't entirely sure of, but at the same time he didn't want to prod. "What are you doing now? Lookin' at porn?" He took a few steps forward to look at the monitor, leaning on the seat Heero was utilizing. His long braid fell forward across his shoulder, trailing along Heero's arm though Duo was not paying it much mind.

He almost jumped when Duo's voice sounded again from near his ears. The braid elicited a second, smaller jump. "There is something wrong..." The Prussian blue eyes studied the guts of the website he'd dissected. "Get me a disk."

Duo raised an eyebrow, tempted to tell the boy to get his butt out of his chair and get his own disk. Still, he moved and went to the drawer where they kept storage devices, returning and handing it to Heero. "What did you find?"

"I don't know." Quickly he popped the disk in, downloading the websites skeleton and information onto it. "This should go to Lady Une."

"You don't know but you're throwing a fit over it?" Duo asked with a snort, peering at the numbers displayed on the monitor. There was something odd about it, he realized, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The disc was whipped out of the laptop and put back in its case. Heero immediately gathered the materials needed to send it express, through the mail. It would have been easier to send it over the computer but there was no knowing at the moment if a tracer was embedded in the material. "Do you see anything off about it?"

Duo lifted one shoulder in a shrug, scratching the back of his head worriedly. "It is weird... I'd have to look further into it though and I'm not the most computer savvy person around."

"You're better then Quatre or Wufei." The brunette stated, writing out the Preventers HQ address with a bold felt tip. He set the package on the desk to be mailed in the morning.

"Yeah, well, sometimes I think it's amazing that they can navigate through websites," Duo responded, perhaps slightly unkindly. He shook his head when he noticed that staring at the screen so intently was giving him a headache. "I'm too tired for this crap..."

"Hn." Heero turned back to the site, seeming intent on going through it some more. He would possible never stop until he figured out what was wrong.

"Yeah, well, have fun, I'm going to go lick my wounds and catch some sleep." He began to unwind his braid, tearing his eyes from the screen before it pulled him in as completely as it had Heero. "Wake me up if you find anything, alright? And don't stay up all night either, I don't want to have to deal with you when you haven't slept."

"Hn."

The brunette watched his violet-eyed partner. Before he could stop himself, one hand grabbed a lock of the chestnut brown hair. Immediately he covered up the action with the usual. "You should cut this, braided baka, it's a liability."

His heart jumped up into his throat at the sudden contact, brain taking a moment to realize what Heero was saying. With the comprehension, his lavender eyes flashed angrily and he swatted the other's hand away. "Screw off. I didn't ask you." He snarled, a heady mix of fear, rage, and need for sleep making him short.

"Go to bed, Maxwell."

He was taken aback only slightly before his hackles rose again. "Go to hell and stay there, Yuy." He snapped, turning and exiting with his hair fanning out in chestnut waves behind him.

The longhaired Pilot missed the wistful look on the others face and the sigh he uttered. The thin body slowly rotated to face his precious laptop, eyes closed. He sat that way for a few minutes before minimizing the sites guts and opening a new, encrypted file. It was filled with pictures.

Pictures of the small group during one of Quatre's parties, at Trowa's circus, at work...but mostly there were pictures of Duo. Heero didn't like to think he was obsessed with the brunette. It wasn't like he had a Duo screensaver, Duo wallpaper, Duo cursor...etc. No, that had been Relena. That was just sickening, and Heero wanted to be nothing like that.

A flushed anger had crept into his face and stayed there as he threw the thin sheets back on his bed and tossed his shoes against the wall, hoping Heero could hear his fury. How dare that bastard touch him? Grab his hair uninvited and think he could tell him what to do? Part of him knew he was being childish, that he was tired and aching, unwilling to deal with much beyond normal, everyday things.

But everything else pointed out otherwise. The outpouring of inner thought that the other pilot had displayed had unnerved him. He didn't like feeling uncertain. Being uncertain meant hesitation and hesitation meant death. His death, his friends' death.

He was so tired.

T.B.C.

**Review:** Please review! We worked so hard on this! Please feed us!


	2. Chapter II

**A/N:** Whooo! Second chapter! I promise that action will start soon. Ourania-san still believes that her Duo is OOC; please tell her that he's not! We're both having fun doing this and hope you have fun reading it!

**Warning: **Violence, Yaoi (1x2), Blood, Gore, Swearing,

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Wing/Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz…if I did I'd make Heero and Duo porn

Soulèvement du Mauvais

Chapter II

By The Vampyre's Widow

&

Ourania

The safe house they were staying in was set on the banks of the Parisian river, the Seine. It was a cozy little two story that the Winners used whenever they were in the city for vacation. Heero found it just like every other house.

The brunette was still on the computer when dawn came. Hirus Shopping had been successfully dissected and its contents were splayed across his laptops screen. This was not going to be a nice day.

Duo hadn't slept well. In fact, he rarely rested so poorly, but a combination of things had kept him from finding the soothing sanctity of the inside of his mind. One was, of course, Heero Yuy and his unexpected admittance, not to mention his sudden interest in the length of Duo's hair. The other was the problematic website that he had only glanced at and now could not get off his mind, trying to remember precisely what had been on the screen without having to go back into the room where his angsty friend dwelled. And the last problem was that the bruise on his side had swelled and he couldn't lay on it without feeling weepy. He decided a warm shower was in order, and he even knew where the bathroom was.

The Perfect Soldier tore his eyes away from the screen long enough to register the sounds of movement. Duo was up. He only shook his head and turned back to the laptop.

Displayed was a map, taken from outer space, of a small area of what was once Russia. A stark white building sat in the center of an extensive military compound. What information had been decoded revealed that under that building was a Mobile Suit factory. One that was pumping out Leo's by the hour.

The bathroom was as nice as he had imagined it to be with marble countertops and stainless steel piping that he didn't bother to admire for too long. He pulled off his clothes, tempted to leave them in a black and white pile on the ground just to improve the overall familiarity of the place. He folded them at the last second, glancing at the mirror and grimacing when he noticed that his side was a mass of mottled blue and purple. How had he managed that? It was hard to pinpoint when it had happened in the rush of fighting confusion. Deathscythe's pilot ignored it for the moment, turning the knob for hot water and slipping into the tub basin.

Heero saved the information to his hard drive and shut down his tired computer. The sound of water reached his ears and he hesitated at getting up. He had to let Duo know...but going in there?

He opted instead for knocking on the door, keeping his gaze averted as if Duo himself was at the door. "Duo?"

The showerhead was a fancy set-your-own-pressure type, one that he was interested enough to toy with until he found one that made the water feel as though it was massaging his neck and back. He sighed happily, bringing the wet curtain of his hair around to one shoulder and gently stroking it with a few fingers to get the knots out. It was funny that Yuy's comment had driven him to such emotional heights, especially when Wufei constantly ragged on him about his brown mane. It wasn't as though Heero's words were out of character; it wasn't even that he had grabbed a handful of it when he'd spoken. Duo really didn't know what the problem was, only knew that he still felt the sting of it even in the morning hours. He put his head under the shower head, and missed the knocking and the question

Frowning, the pilot tried again. A little louder this time. "Duo?" One hand grasped the door handle. His reluctance to go in had disappeared when the other hadn't answered.

There was water in his ears and he could hear his own heart beating out a steady tattoo. He put a hand to his side and heard the rhythm speed up immediately, though he was thankful to find that it wasn't as sensitive as it had been in bed. The pilot closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, letting the water flood over the crown of his skull and into his eyes and mouth. It was refreshing, as it was intended to be. He wondered if the Perfect Soldier had figured out whatever it was that the website had been hiding and frowned. Couldn't he think of anything else? Heero Yuy in bed, Heero Yuy in the shower. This was becoming aggravating and, perhaps, a bit frightening as well.

With an almost audible growl the teen threw open the bathroom door. "Duo!" He would have yanked the curtain back, but manners dictated otherwise. Taking a page out of Deathsycthe's pilots book, he flushed the toilet instead.

He straightened when he heard something, pulling his head out from under the torrent of water, violet eyes narrowed. "Hey, if you have to take a leak, just-" Then the water slicking down his back and buttocks turned viciously cold and he yelped, jumping away from the stream and almost taking a graceful fall. "You sonnova BITCH! That's COLD."

"You weren't answering." The other almost smirked at his longhaired companion. "We leave after your done."

He peeked out from under the curtain, eyes amethyst slits of annoyance against his pinkened face. "I hate you... hand me a towel and explain why you had to ruin my day, would you?"

Wing's Pilot did so, leaning back against the wall afterward. Like at the door he kept his eyes averted. To help Duo keep his modesty. Like the other had any to begin with. "The site I hacked into was hiding plans for Mobile Suit construction. Several members of the Earth Sphere Alliance are funding this. They will declare war soon...ETA unknown..."

He took the towel, wrapping it around his waist and hopping out of the tub to listen. He picked up a smaller hand towel to dry out his hair, pausing when the words began to penetrate through the fog of steam and annoyance. "You're kiddin' me... crap. Alright, just let me toss on my clothes and we can go."

It was hard to keep his eyes on the floor as he left the bathroom. The air outside seemed colder then the other room. Shaking his head, he let the Perfect Soldier fall into place. He had to pack, vid Lady Une and Quatre, and get them tickets to Russia.

He calmed down exponentially when the other teen was gone, wiping off excess water and retrieving his clothing. He put them on quickly; shooting the toilet one last wary glance before following the path that Heero had taken. His hair would be wet for hours, but it couldn't be helped and he wouldn't complain knowing that Yuy would use it as ammunition against him. Today was going to suck.

The packing was already done. All of Duo's things were in his bag and sat by the door. Heero was at the desk again, wrapping up a conversation with Quatre. "We'll be fine, Quatre."

Duo grabbed his bag and took a brush out of the side pocket, running it through his dripping hair and listening with half an ear to the one sided conversation. Heero's voice had a reverberating quality, something that he would normally compare to haunted houses or other unsavory instances. He shook his head to clear it, going back to brushing and thinking about the upcoming mission rather than his friend's intriguing tone. I am so out of it today, he thought with a dismal exhalation.

"Are you sure you don't need back up, Heero?" The little blondes face was pinched with worry.

"Smaller numbers move faster. We will send you updates when we can."

"Very well...Duo? Take care of Heero ok?" The blonde giggled at the expression on Heero's face. "And you take care of Duo too, Heero."

"Mission accepted."

Duo grinned and gave the blonde a thumbs up to show that he would do his best. He started to braid his hair, taking care not to do it unevenly. "Well, let's do this thing and not screw up too bad, huh?"

"I'll be waiting to hear from you both." Quatre's face blipped off the screen.

"Our flight is in one hour. We'll be landing in Moscow and taking a Preventers vehicle to target site." Heero handed the printed out tickets to his partner.

Duo distangled one hand from his mass of hair to take the ticket, grinning slightly at the prospect of what was to come. "Alright, sounds good. Anything to do beforehand or are we just going to sit on our duffs for an hour?"

"The airport, baka." Heero slid his laptop into its carrying case and slung it over his shoulder. The same was done with his duffel bag. "We leave now."

"It's not gonna take that long," Duo protested, shoving the contents that had spilled out of his own travel pack back inside. "Least it shouldn't..."

"Hn." Heero waited for his partner at the door to the safe house. The keys to the rented car were in his hand. If he had had a full nights sleep he would drive, but today Duo would. His driving would make a Nun swear.

Deathscythe's pilot rolled his eyes, knowing full well that getting much of anything out of Heero was fairly unlikely at this point. "Well, I'll take those and you can catch some Zs while I drive. I told you I didn't want to deal with you unless you had some sleep." He took a moment to look at the condition of the vehicle before sliding into the driver's seat and starting it up.

The teen slammed the trunk of the car closed. He wasn't going to sleep when Duo drove. That was a death wish.

His body seemed to have a different idea though. Once he was buckled in and the car was moving, his eyelids going southward.

When he saw that the other boy was falling asleep he gradually became more heavy-footed and liberal with the gas pedal, resisting the urge to whistle, as it would have wakened the other boy. Duo made it to the airport in record time, stretching and quietly opening the door so that he could grab their things out of the trunk and allow Heero just a few moments more sleep.

When Heero woke, he stepped out and took in his surroundings. It was obviously the airport. And Duo was nowhere nearby. A glance at his watch showed that there was still more than thirty minutes before their flight arrived.

He came back after putting their things on the plane, tilting his head when he saw Heero was up and about. "Hey, I the stewardess get you a pillow, so you can sleep on the flight too." He said with a smile. "And now we have nothin' to do... I told you it would take less than an hour." Although it would have been a different story if he'd been going anywhere near the speed limit.

"Hn...you sped." The brunette accused, glancing down at the abused tires.

"Only a little," Duo said, grin widening at having been caught. "So what? You should have known that would happen." He put his hands behind his head thoughtfully, looking up into the sky and trying to decide himself what to do. "I'm hungry... there's a little market a few miles back that serves sandwiches. You want anything?"

The pilot was quiet for a moment then nodded. "The usual." He pulled a few bills out of his pocket and handed them to the longhaired Preventer. "I will wait inside." Inside meant wireless Internet. Which meant laptop usage.

"What a surprise," Duo muttered, taking the cash and stuffing it into his pant pocket. "I'll be right back, so don't get too comfy without me." He went to the car, swinging the keys from one finger and giving in to the whistling that he hadn't been able to in the car. He pulled out with a squeal of tires and was gone.

The teen winced at the sound of abused rubber. How in the world and colonies had Maxwell managed to pass his driving test? Shrugging, he hitched the strap of his bag higher on his shoulder and trudged inside.

A seat was secured in the terminal, the bag occupying the seat next to him. He doubted that Duo would be late with his particular talent. He settled down into his laptop and waited.

"... And a bag of chips," Duo said with a deciding nod, handing out the money Heero had given him and accepting the deli bag in return. "Thanks, pal. This ain't gonna give me food-poisoning, I hope... what?"

The laptop had been set aside as the Prussian blues found the floor to ceiling windows enrapturing. His mind wandered to less than an hour ago. Less than an hour ago he had been in the same room with a naked Duo. Naked!

Any normal red-blooded gay male or female would definitely have peeked. He had wanted to so badly. Now he berated himself for not having done so. His imagination was adept at forming pictures of a naked Duo. Those mental images sent little chills down his spine and around into his groin. Damnit...

Duo kicked his way into the plane terminal, rubbing his arm and mumbling under his breath about touchy delicatessen owners with wicked right-hooks. "Here's your... what are you looking at?"

The brunette jerked out of his thoughts, staring into the deep amethyst. A dark pink blush started to form on the olive skin. For once, the pilot thanked Dr. J for teaching him to control his body. If he hadn't been able to, he would have been in a very embarrassing situation.

"Hn." He took the wrapped sandwich from his partner.

Duo cocked his head in confusion before a sly smirk spread across his features. "You were thinkin' of someone. Did a hottie walk by or something?" Maybe Heero's coming out of the closet had opened up the possibility of him not being such a prude? He sat down next to the other pilot, pulling out his own sandwich and setting a bag of chips in Heero's lap. "So who caught your attention?"

"Omae o korosu." Heero leveled his partner with a death glare. Did the other brunette have to be so nosy? At least Trowa and Wufei didn't ask about things they didn't need to know about.

He pouted mockingly, though the overall effect was convincing. "You're no fun at all. It's not like I'm going to make a move on them or something. Geez..." He took a bite of his sandwich and adjusted his collar, looking out to see if there was anyone around who would be Heero's type. Come to think of it, what was Heero's type? Anything with boobs was out, so that left only a few. Was it the guy with the buzz-cut? He looked too old, although he undoubtedly wouldn't have minded it if Heero had been ogling him. Yuck. His bright eyes flitted to another male and he found him as poorly suited as the last, though his reasons weren't quite as concrete this time around.

Heero watched Duo look around the terminal, taking the time to memorize his profile. The golden-brown hair framed a lovely, sharp-lined face with a stubborn jaw. His amethyst eyes were surrounded with lush, feminine lashes that were slightly darker then his hair. Duo's lips were thin, but they always seemed to be stretched in a teasing smile. Only a handful had seen the rambunctious pilot frown, and none had been able to get close enough to find out why he hid his pain beneath that smiling mask.

He didn't see anyone worth Heero's time and could hardly think that the pilot would have had such an expression on his face for nothing. He turned back to question him, finding the cobalt blue shards locked on him. He tensed uncertainly, wondering if he was supposed to read something in the glance. "What is it?"

Heero turned his stare into a glare. "Hn." He settled back into his seat, fingers unwrapping the sandwich. It was almost wolfed down, as the Perfect Soldier had had nothing to eat since dinner the night before.

"Pfft, weirdo." Duo muttered, finishing up his own sandwich and trying not to feel awkward. Maybe he had a bit of mustard on his face or something that would have explained quite a bit. He saw the sandwich being devoured out of his peripheral vision and gave the other boy a warning. "Eat that fast and you'll make yourself sick. Think of the bathroom on the airplane and know why to pace yourself."

He knew that well, as he had done it a number of occasions and been berated for it by someone - if not his own mind - every time.

The glare was directed at Duo once more. "Urusai, baka." However, he did slow down.

Duo rolled his eyes and went back to people watching, trying to keep himself from falling into the cold-grip of boredom. He hated not having anything to do, inactivity made him restless and jumpy, something he knew the other pilot hated. Quatre could tolerate it with that long-suffering smile, Trowa would ignore him utterly, and Wufei would threaten to tie his braid to anything over a hundred pounds and leave him there to figure out how to unknot it. Heero would likely take the same route as Trowa, though he'd been more vocal about his dislike of the Shinigami's quirks lately.

As usual the icy pilot was content with staring off into space. This time he was able to keep his thoughts on more mundane subjects, such as guns...Yes, big shiny guns...

Duo grabbed the other boy's wrist to look at his watch, sighing in an over-dramatic way when he found they still had ten minutes to blow. "Bored... really, really bored."

"Hn..." Heero took his wrist back even as his skin tingled from the contact.

He didn't protest, allowing the boy to make his not quite noise and pull back. He felt suddenly antsy, like he could have done laps around the terminal and yelled at the top of his lungs. It would have served Yuy right for being such a crappy entertainment diversion. He leaned back in his chair, wincing and adjusting to compensate for the sensitivity of the bruising he'd been close to forgetting.

Heero resumed staring out the windows. His internal clock was ticking away the minutes. When it came time he gathered his things, throwing away the trash from both of them. A sigh escaped his lips when he looked at his partner. One could just see the waves of boredom rolling off him.

Duo saw movement and immediately jumped up, movements akin to that of a puppy whose owner had just shown signs of willingness to go for a walk. "Time to go?"

"Yes."

"Score." It took a lot of effort to refrain from bouncing on his heels. "Let's get the hell out of here then."

Zero's pilot shook his head in exasperation and showed the lady the paper with their ticket information on it. It was only a few more minutes before they were tucked into their seats. Almost immediately the brunette whipped out his laptop again and started typing.

When Deathscythe's pilot realized he'd been shuffled from one cage of monotony to another, he had an internal fit of epic proportions. He hadn't expected a circus chock full of freaks and elephants, but he had at least hoped for a decent in-flight movie. Heero was no help, having gone instantly back into his cybernetic world without even a courtesy, 'Do you have something else to do?' Not that he had expected the Perfect Soldier to do anything even remotely pleasant. He sighed, snatching the other boy's pillow and placing it on the armrest. "I'm going to sleep... wake me up when we get there."

A noncommittal grunt was issued in response. Tactfully, the pilot shifted away from the other. The brief image of Duo's head near his groin had his hormones going into overtime. It was harder to control this time so he tried to change the image into...Dr. J...Dr. J in a skirt. A shudder ran down his spine and he had the urge to gag.

Duo watched the other boy's expression for a moment before deciding there was no arguement about to take place. He settled down into the overstuffed pillow, gave a short, kitten-ish yawn, and was soon asleep.

**Reviews: **Please review! Feed the Widow! Flames will be used to keep us toasty warm!


	3. Chapter III

**A/N:** I would like to say that there are only so many ways to describe a person. Hair color happens to be my fall back when I have no other way to describe somebody. Thank you for your reviews though! Ourania-san and I both appreciate them.

**Warning:** Yaoi, maybe some non-con, Explicit Violence, Swearing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Wing/Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz…if I did I'd make Heero and Duo porn

Soulevement du Mauvais

Chapter III

By The Widow's Vampyre

&

Ourania

Heero made sure to stay far away from his braided partner as they waited for a Preventers vehicle to pick them up. Somewhere in the flight Duo had decided that the warm body next to him equaled as a plushie to hug. It had been very annoying and embarrassing to peel the pilot off only to have him reattach himself minutes later.

"Omae o korosu..." He muttered under his breath, hunching down in his fur lined jacket.

Winter in Russia was never fun. It had to be twenty below zero outside, and not much better inside. One part of him hoped that Duo would be able to handle the cold as well as he could. Their mission would take them far away from Moscow, in the middle of a snowy desert.

The other pilot was blissfully unaware of the consternation he had caused his comrade, especially since he was feeling bright-eyed and however else the saying went. He couldn't exactly remember what his dreams had concerned as they'd constantly shifted and fluttered, but the after effect of being intensely chipper remained even after he'd opened his eyes and found that Heero was staring at him like he had brain fever. He suspected that he may have been sleep talking, or at the very least snoring. He couldn't conceive why else he was receiving the cold shoulder, and he was a little embarrassed to ask.

The blue-eyed pilot returned to staring out the sleet covered windows after glancing at the time. The flight hadn't taken too long, having left at ten in the morning; it was now four in the afternoon. It felt like ten at night.

One hand came up to cover a yawn. He had not slept on the flight at all. It had been tempting to let Duo cling to him and go to sleep...However, his partner would have had a fit if he had woken in that position.

The violet-eyed boy caught the sleepy gesture and felt immediately guilty, realizing that he had likely kept the other boy from his dreams. He worried at his bottom lip, moving to tap Heero on the shoulder and offer an apologetic grin. "Hey, if I do that again, you could wake me up or put a pillow over my face or something."

"I could smother you instead..." Another glimpse of Yuy's rare humor. Twice in two days...

Duo lost a bit of his sympathy at that. "'Cept I'd wake up and kick the crap out of you." he returned, one corner of his mouth rising slightly. Something occurred to him and the grin became coy. "You just want to hear me gasping for air, you dirty old Yuy."

"Omae o korosu..." Sometimes he wished he had something big, blunt and heavy to slam into the others head. Knowing Duo, it would bounce right off, with a huge dent.

The boy's face brightened in triumph, the come-hither look dissipating. "You only say that because you know you want me." He said matter-of-factly with a flick of his long hair, perhaps to further cow the other teen.

There was silence from the other boy. A very uncomfortable, weighted silence. Duo wouldn't be able to guess how correct he was. He probably would never know. The braided teen thought he was straight, and would most likely try to stay that way.

It was undeniably easier to pick on Heero ever since Zero's pilot had admitted to having an interest in the same sex. It was actually so simple that the other boy felt a bit guilty about it because he knew that Heero hadn't intentionally spilled the information. He assumed the silence was one filled with fuming and perhaps regret at having confided in the rambunctious teen something so personal.

"Hey," His voice was reluctant, not wanting to give up on the treasure-trove of fun but knowing that the game was probably costing him something more important. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll knock it off if it bugs you that much." He put his hand on Heero's muscled shoulder, giving a small squeeze to show that he was no longer blowing smoke.

The Prussian blues glanced at the violet eyes for a second. He shrugged, not able to come up with a verbal reply. It annoyed him sometimes. His socials skills were so evidently lacking that he just wanted to move to a place where there were no people.

Duo relented, recognizing discomfort swelling in Heero's dark gaze. He was getting too comfortable with touching and he knew it. "Where is our friggen pick up?" He grumbled, trying to change the subject and disguise his own uncertainty.

"Hn..."

Every nerve in the brunette's body was hyperaware of the hand on his shoulder. And that was through four layers of clothing. He shifted, eyes trying to make sense of the war zone outside. There had to be something about airports and a sea of cars outside.

The Preventer vehicle was probably waiting to get in.

Deathscythe's pilot retrieved his hand without a thought to adjust the glove, having felt a cold breeze on his wrist when Heero had moved. Deciding to get completely into the spirit of the deep freeze, he took out a pair of black and green earmuffs, snapping them on and sighing. At least he hadn't been subjected to boredom on the airplane trip as well; he would have been nutty by now.

Like the knight on a white horse, the dark colored Preventers van pulled up to the curb. "Let's go." Heero grabbed his bags and satchel, turning to brave the cold weather.

It took approximately one point five minutes for his teeth to start chattering and his body to shiver uncontrollably. He wasn't worried about it, having been trained to withstand it.

The other pilot jumped up and followed suit, face pinching in distaste when the cold hit him full on and he found he did not much like it. He pressed his lips together and tried to sink into the heated depths of his jacket, but it was a wasted effort. "W-Why can't we have an m-mission somewhere warm...?" he complained, stopping when his jittery teeth caught an end of his tongue and produced a coppery flood of taste. Damn, just his luck. He pressed the muscle against his teeth to stop the bleeding; hoping Heero hadn't seen him bite down on it, as he'd probably think it was well deserved.

The other pilot didn't notice anything, as he was busy talking to the driver of the van. The driver was taller than the brunette by a good head, with pale skin and shoulder length hair of a silver blonde. He seemed quite interested in the Perfect Soldier, and took opportunities to touch him as they talked.

The exchange did not go unnoticed by Duo, and his eyes narrowed while something hot and angry filled his innards like a disease. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Some sort of Casanova? The teen doubted that was even his natural hair color, certain that it had come out of a bottle rather than a womb. Almost immediately as the emotion had come, it subsided into a warm confusion that stained his cheeks and left him feeling as though he were standing on uneven ground. What was his problem? It was a touch and nothing more, and he shouldn't have felt angry if someone displayed interest in Heero. Shake it off, he thought, turning his head to look elsewhere.

The mans name was Ivan, Heero soon learned, and had been in the Preventers since it was founded. For a well-trained soldier, he seemed quite immature. The brunette tilted his head to the side and frowned. "Is there something in your eye?" Ivan had been closing one eye for some time now. "We need to leave."

The blonde helped Heero into the van, though the pilot rejected it. He left Duo where he was and climbed into the driver's side of the van.

The braided-haired boy couldn't help but feel a spike of satisfaction at the dumbfounded expression on the unnatural-blonde's face, instead opting to hop into the vehicle as well and - through sheer force of priesthood will - try not to preen himself. Heero was way too good for that goof anyway, he reasoned, that was why he'd felt so upset before.

Heero found himself snuggling into the side of his partner halfway through the trip. The van's heating was poor and Duo was so warm. As the body heat of the other penetrated his layers of clothing, he found himself nodding off. He missed the dagger glare Ivan sent Duo through the rearview mirror as his head slouched down onto a shoulder.

Duo sent the angry beam back at the driver, trying to translate that Heero was off-limits to him. The pilot was feeling strangely protective of his friend, and it boded well that the other boy was sleeping now rather than running on nothing right before a mission. He quietly hummed an old tune, careful not to disturb Heero as he focused on the scenery passing by outside.

Clearly, Ivan didn't like being warned off. After they reached their destination, the bottle blonde retrieved Heero's baggage -except laptop- from the van and carried it in for him. Wing's pilot had tried to take it from him, determined to carry his own things, but was told that if he took his stuff up to his room, then Heero would have more time to talk to the head of this branch.

Heero had nodded at the logic and disappeared inside.

Dou's things sat in the snow.

The young pilot couldn't say he was surprised by the development, but he still felt that same twinge of disgust for both Heero's cluelessness and Ivan's over exuberant attempts to woo. He picked up his things, trying to juggle the suitcase along with his carry-ons, and made it inside without slipping on any ice. Once his feet were safely on the grip of carpeting he set down the heavy articles and shook the gathered snow from his hair, body shuddering in an attempt to warm. He could ignore the blonde's discourtesy this time, though the Shinigami would not be quite so forgiving if this incident repeated itself.

Heero found himself talking, not to the Head of the Moscow Branch, but to a vid of Lady Une. "Was the material decoded?"

"Yes." The older woman looked at something off screen, a frown obscuring her pleasant features. "The Futura Group will publicly announce its declaration of war within three days. You must stop them before the time runs out."

Heero nodded, watching a flash of relief brighten Une's eyes. "Mission accepted."

"Take care, Heero." The screen went blank, leaving the Pilot to his thoughts.

Duo joined his companion after putting all his things tidily in a corner. "So, any news?" He asked, wondering if his braid would need wringing out once the snow had melted completely. He wouldn't mention Ivan to Heero, since the boy had apparently forgotten about the entire event anyway.

"We have a time limit." Heero turned to look at the braided boy. "Three days." They would have to leave tonight to make it there before morning.

Duo pulled a face but held his complaints. He disliked time limits, they made him feel jumpy and prone to error, not that he committed many mistakes anyway - he couldn't afford to in his profession - but it still bothered him. "I'd ask why, but I think I've already guessed it." He said with a sigh. "What's the plan?"

"We leave tonight." The blue eyes glanced at Duo's bags. "Pack what you need, we'll be covering some terrain on foot." He needed to get his things together. Not to mention raid the arsenal.

The violet-eyed boy nodded shortly, wondering at the amount of clothing he could get away with leaving behind without contracting frostbite. He knew it wouldn't matter how much or little cloth was covering sensitive skin in case of an ambush, but being cold would slow down his reflexes, and speed was something he depended on. Plus, and he hated to confess it because it was such a petty bonus, but if they were going on foot then they likely would not have to deal with the driver, Ivan. "Alright. I'll be ready by then..." he replied, trying to not to sound bright in case Heero caught on to why his mood had risen.

Heero nodded and left to find the Director's Office. Within fifteen minutes he was looking over and choosing guns to take with them. Several cases of grenades and one larger bomb for the factory were set aside. The guns were loaded into their cases to be packed with his things.

Now he just had to find where Ivan put his things. There was something about that blonde that he couldn't put his finger.

Duo disposed of what would not be required, leaving it in the suitcase and instead taking only the shapeless backpack to hold his necessary items. He followed after Heero when he was finished, determined to obtain a weapon that the other pilot hadn't picked out for him, though it might have been safer considering how his own choice weapon had stuck at an inopportune moment before and nearly cost him.

By the time that he found his baggage, Heero was determined not to let Ivan anywhere near his things again. With a death glare at anyone who walked by, the Pilot set about getting his stuff sorted and packed.

Duo had located the weapons room and found a handgun that, while not particularly fancy or fun to look at, would suit his purposes fairly well. He tucked it into the waistband of his pants and pulled the bulky coat over the grip, spotting Heero having another of his tantrums. "Somethin' up, Sunshine?" He asked casually.

Heero leveled the glare on his partner, hands folding clothes neatly and placing them in the bottom of the backpack. He was only taking two changes, leaving room for ammunition and the bombs. "Don't call me that."

"Touchy... did Ivan misplace your things?" That would have been perfect, but Duo couldn't bother to hope. He swiftly changed the topic, knowing he had been poking fun at the driver the entire time they'd been indoors: "Eh, anyway, I'm ready when you are."

A curt nod was his only response. Leaving the bulk behind, he went to go pack the weapons and bombs. He wrapped the bombs in some towels he had found. It would be very bad if something jostled them and caused one to explode.

A dagger was slipped into his boot, and a Magnum strapped to his waist. He motioned for his partner to follow him outside, where a covered jeep was waiting.

Duo wasted no time in doing what he was bid, though he was starting to consider grabbing more weapons of the just-in-case variety. The boy blanched slightly at the sight of another vehicle and thoughts of automatic weapons flew quickly out of his head. Was someone else to drive them again? He didn't think it was all that likely, but then he hadn't been there for the entire brief and Heero had.

Heero put his bag in the back, making sure that it was stable before he climbed into the drivers seat. The cold leather and metal pierced right through his jacket, making a wave of goosebumps rise up over his skin. Seat and such were adjusted and he waited for his partner.

He slid into the other seat, relieved to find no one else around, and happily leaned back into the chair. "You okay to drive?" he asked, content to seemed concerned for his own well being if not for Heero's.

"Hn." He pulled out of the Preventers parking lot, following the map the Director had given him. "There is a safe house not too far away from the compound, we will go on foot from there."

"Glad I brought my boots then," Duo said needlessly, relaxing now that they had left the other building behind. "And socks, real wool socks too, not though crappy cotton ones that get wet and make your toes turn black and snap off." He was positively chirpy and he knew it, but couldn't bring himself to stop for the other's benefit.

Heero pointedly ignored the chattering of his partner. The subject of frostbitten toes wasn't one that he enjoyed.

The road was slick with snow and ice, all his concentration on keeping a steady speed. It was deserted for being almost six. It seemed that the citizens of Moscow were being smart and staying indoors instead of being out.

Duo grew quiet after a few minutes, recognizing that his friend was purposefully disregarding him for a reason. He crossed his arms over his chest, checking his seatbelt as he did so, and went back to looking out the side window.

The drive was long, and silent. A few times Heero found himself checking his partner to see if he was still breathing. Duo spent 99.9 of his waking hours talking after all. This was out of character.

It was nearly two in the morning when the pair pulled in front of the safe house. It looked like a shabby one room tin can. Truthfully everything was beneath the ground. Kept warm in winter and kept cool in the summer. A generator ran the small kitchen and shower.

The last time they had passed a home had to be almost three hours ago. Snow stretched for as far as the eye could see in all directions. The only break was the treads the snow tires had left behind.

"We walk from here." Heero cut the engine, evaluating the white desert.

**Reviews:** They not only make us feel better but write faster! Please review! Flames will be used to keep us toasty warm!


	4. Chapter IV

**A/N:** Yo! Fourth chapter is finally out. The action has finally started here. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Wing/AC or I'd make sekushi Heero and Duo porn

Soulevement Du Mauvais

Chapter IV

By The Vampyre's Widow

&

Ourania

Duo had never much liked the cold; he rediscovered this now as they trekked along the frozen expanse in search of their stopping point. Yards of fuzzy blankets and endless cups of hot cocoa could theoretically ward off the chill, but he didn't see either of those things being offered to him in the near future, so he wisely kept it to himself.

All the little aches, the wear and tear his body had sustained both recently and in the past, were more apparent to him now as the damp and the freezing temperature settled in. His bruised side was protesting most severely, and he silently vowed to do something about it once this whole mission was over. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand.

In the moonlight the snow seemed to stretch on forever. Heero continued to trudge through the snow, breaking the path for his partner. The cold was readily ignored, even though his fingers and nose had long since gone numb.

The GPS map in his hand declared that they were only ten minutes from the target site. "We're near." He said over his shoulder.

The other pilot waved his hand wearily to show he had heard and comprehended, not the least bit tempted to open his mouth and expose any more of his body to the cold. He hoped that near meant he would soon be warm and toasty: Even the bad guys had to have heating units.

The minutes seemed to stretch by like hours. Just as his numb legs were starting to protest the trials of breaking snow, a tall fence loomed overhead. Barbed wire decorated the top and a sizzle in the air concluded that electricity was running through the metal links.

Heero kneeled in the snow, one hand grabbing the tether between him and his partner.

Duo pulled a face when the lashing between them was tugged but made no outwardly disagreeing noises. He took a spot beside Heero, nearly touching the fence when he lost his balance momentarily and had to rock back on his heels to avoid getting fried. He offered his partner an embarrassed grin before his gaze flicked out between the metal links to take in their situation.

The white building was seamless, with no windows and only one entrance. It was heavily guarded, with the guards in pairs, some had Canine units, and some didn't. Smoke billowed from the top of the building, obscuring the night sky and disguising the men that patrolled the roof.

"The gate must be nearby."

Duo nodded in agreement, squinting to see if he could find it without the hazard of splitting up to look for it. "Is that it? Down there, where there's a difference in the size, can you see it?"

After rubbing the steam off his goggles, Heero was able to make out the gate. "Guard house. Unknown number." He motioned to the small, ranch size building by the gate.

The other boy nodded, slipping a hand under his coat to see if the weapons were still there. The steel cooled the second it encountered a breeze, and Duo knew quite well where everything was located. "Alright, let's go and hope there's not a baker's dozen hiding out in there... or even the regular dozen."

"Hn."

Heero produced his magnum, loaded it and put the silencer on it. Stealth would be the best course of action for the moment.

Duo had put the silencer on previously, having already anticipated needing it in the upcoming skirmishes. He crawled along the fencing, pausing every so often to make sure they weren't being tracked by anyone.

Heero had to follow; unable to do anything else when he was tied to his partner. It was still too early to undo the rope. Freak snowstorms were common in this part of Russia and even being this close to the compound you could get lost in one of them

When they came astride of the guardhouse, Duo removed his handgun and waited until Heero was in a comfortable position. The violet-eyed boy peered into the small building, keeping his fingers crossed and hoping they weren't walking directly into an ambush.

There were four guards in the house, Heero had counted. Two for each of them. Security was very tight. If he hadn't known about what was going on, looking at this compound would have triggered suspicions. He nodded at Duo and crouched by the window, waiting for one of them to walk by.

The guards didn't know what was happening until it was too late. The pilot's accurate aim and rapid fire had two down almost instantly.

The other guards hit the ground half a second later, both dead the second the bullets had kissed their heads and laid them out to rest. Duo shuffled carefully to look around the area more seriously, deeming it safe enough to rise from his crouch with his gun still clutched in his cold grip.

Heero followed his partner, but edged around the side of the house to the door, undoing the cord at the same time. It was a simple matter to pick the lock and get in. A thorough search produced weapons, ammo, a small stock of food and identification cards.

Heero tucked one of the 22 Buckmark's into his coat and packed some of the food into his bag. The food the guards had was better then they're three-day supply of energy drinks and protein bars.

"Here." Heero handed Duo one of the ID cards when emerged from the house.

The pilot accepted the card, though he fumbled with it in his gloves. He shot a glance at Heero's bag, wondering what else the boy had pilfered from inside before shrugging it off: Heero would show him later. "There were more than I thought there would be..." he said quietly, more for the comfort of hearing his own voice again rather than to actually point out anything important.

"It's a Mobile Suit Factory, security will be heavily present." Heero stated. He offered his partner the other 22 Buckmark and some ammo to go with it.

There were no cameras on the top of the house or on the gate. This part would be easy. A simple swipe of the ID card had the gate rolling back. It was soundless, possibly well maintained then lubricated with melted snow and ice.

Leave it to Heero to make him feel like a complete moron. Duo took the gun and bullets without comment, feeling rather uncomfortable on the whole at the lack of noise produced by the gate. He mentally smacked his own uncertainties, slipping through before it closed again while keeping a sharp eye out for danger.

The brunette kept to the already broken paths in the snow. One of them would lead to the entrance; Undoubtedly guarded more heavily then the gate. All of his sense were hyper aware of his surroundings, tracking Duo's movements and breathing, the black forms by the building.

Being the Perfect Soldier let his mind wander. /How many times do I have to kill that little girl and her dog...Never...Never again will I have to kill somebody...yet...here I am again...will this blood ever disappear/

Duo's mouth was unnaturally dry and his lips were frustratingly chapped. He could feel them starting to split whenever he spoke or blew a breath against the scarf on his face to warm his nose. He filed it into the back of his thought processes, knowing that a bleeding mouth would be the least of their troubles if he skipped out in front of a guard.

Five guards, one with a German Shepard. All of them had rifles. There was no way to get past them without alerting the rest of the compound. "Thoughts, Maxwell?"

The pilot didn't like these odds in the least. "If we separate and fire at them from different angles, it'll confuse them and they won't know where to shoot. In that situation, we'd want to take the dog out first, since it'll come straight at us... plus, the barking would attract others."

Heero nodded. "Right." He moved off in that direction, trying to be as quiet as possible. It was an unspoken agreement between them both that he would take out the Shepard. He had the best night vision between them and better aim.

Far away as he could possibly get and still see the entrance, he knelt back down into the snow. A brief image flashed before his eyes: The girl, with her immaculate white dress, straw hat with the cheerful yellow ribbon...the yellow flower...her voice as she played with the puppy. An existence erased by one of his missions. A mission that repeated itself in his dreams.

Without thought the finger tightened on his trigger. A yelp floated to his ears. He would never forget that little girl, but to protect more innocents like her he would have to kill again.

Duo fired several shots in quick succession, carefully aiming for vitals so that there would be no opportunity for warning the others in the compound. If his bullets missed their mark, he made certain they did not do so by much. The entire scene was over and done with before he'd drawn in three hurried breaths, halfway fearing they might have been his last.

Duo was approached from behind. Heero knelt down again behind him, Magnum clutched in his hand like a lifeline. "Reload and move."

Duo's muscles had initially tensed and he'd been prepared to swing around when another's presence invaded his space. Heero's voice sliced through the dark thoughts just in time to avoid a fatal mistake. The boy calmed slightly, even as he quickly did what he was told and forcefully tried not think of what he had almost done.

Wing's Pilot moved away from his partner, following the path. He checked the five bodies, pocketing the ammo. They needed all they could get for later. There was nothing else on the bodies to scavenge.

He slipped the ID card into the small panel next to the flat door and listened to it whirring. His Prussian blues caught sight of a pair of guards coming their way. They hadn't noticed them yet. One hand inched towards the Buckmark.

Duo spotted them as well and he gave them a short glance each, looking to see which of the two was more alert and had a better chance of returning fire. He decided the one on the left presented a more serious threat and removed him from the equation with a bullet between those attentive eyes. The second one went slack-jawed when his friend's head exploded into a pink and red cloud and Duo took advantage of that indecisive moment to finish off the final bit of the problem. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Heero had finished opening the door, trying to ignore the damage he had just done.

The door slid open with the sound of an air lock releasing. Heero clamped the door back with his hand. "Hurry up, 02."

Duo pulled a face at the resurrection of his code name but scurried through without giving Heero any lip.

The door slid shut behind the pair. Heero pulled off the scarves, gloves and coat, pushing the goggles up. It was a comfortable temperature inside, so the layers of winter clothing would be nothing but a hinder and a nuisance.

He checked his Magnum and Buckmark. They were put back in his waistband for later use.

The change from Mother Nature's freezing cold to a heated room was pleasant to say the least. Duo slipped his excess clothing off, trying to convince blood to circulate in his fingers while he looked around. His weapons remained tucked where they were, the extra ammunition falling into pockets on his immediate person.

"We need to move."

Heero tucked his accessories under one arm and glanced down the long hallway. No one was there but that didn't mean there weren't regular patrols of the area. Without a blueprint of the building, there was no telling if there was a room on the hall where their things could be hid.

"We always need to move," Duo replied sharply, also looking down the corridor. He mulled over their options before saying: "I'll go down and see if there's anyone around. Cover me, would you?" It did them absolutely no good to stand around and wait.

Heero nodded curtly, not deigning to reply. The Buckmark was taken in hand. He narrowed his eyes against the white of the interior and glare of the lights. They would need to deal with those as well.

Duo took out his own weapon, sliding along the wall and cautiously making his way across the clear-cut distance. He was thankful that his shoes did not squeak, though they seemed on the verge of attempting once or twice. When he reached the end, Duo took a deep breath before looking around the corner, heart pumping like a caged bird in his chest cavity.

Heero watched Duo. He almost edged after him, wanting to be beside him instead of covering his back. If he was hurt...he wasn't sure what he'd do.

There were two guards, less than he had anticipated; each supposed to face one end of the corridor in case of intruders. However, these two seemed more interested in sharing a cigarette than keeping watch. Duo released his breath quietly, taking aim and squeezing the trigger down to end another life. He would have done so to the next guard as well, if the gun in his hand hadn't picked that moment to jam up and refuse to spit up another deadly projectile. He quickly reached for his other gun, pulling it out and dodging back around the corner when the sentry retaliated. The bullet clipped his shoulder, a stream of curses ricocheted in his mind at the sound a gun without a silencer made. He used the second weapon to end the fight before it started in earnest, landing one directly in the guard's chest.

Heero was by Duo's side in a second. "Baka!" He dropped the jacket and items, jerking Duo around to see his shoulder. Clean cut. It would need antiseptic and bandages.

The first aid kit was dug out of Duo's bag, and was made use of. The cleaning was done quickly and the bandages wrapped tight without a word of apology.

The braided boy winced at the gruffness of it all, mumbling his regrets to Heero and keeping his gazes elsewhere. "The stupid gun jammed," He remembered suddenly, glancing down at the weapon he'd discarded after it had proved useless. "Why the hell do I always get the lemons?"

Heero packed away the kit and picked up the gun. He dissembled it quickly, checking over the pieces. The pieces were quickly cleaned and put back together. "It shouldn't jam now." He gathered the items and went back to collect his bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

Duo took the gun back warily, somehow certain that the contraption would jam again just to spite him. He rubbed his shoulder gingerly, trying to see if his movement was hindered by the wrapping job. It was still fairly easy to budge, but that didn't mean his reaction time would be as fast - something that didn't matter much anyway considering how he'd managed to get hurt in the first place.

"I will be checking corridors from now on." Heero offered his hand to his partner.

A faint blush stained his cheeks before a clearly annoyed look overtook his features. "I would have been fine..." He replied, crossing his arms over his chest in a juvenile show of his independence.

The Prussian blues filled with annoyance. Without a word, the brunette grabbed Duo's arm and hauled him to his feet. "Stop whining."

His breath caught painfully at the gesture, the skin around the bruising on his ribcage stretching and giving an angry reply. "I'm not whining," He growled back, schooling his expression to aggravation rather than hurt. "I'm tellin' you, I would have been damn fine. That's not whining, that's a statement."

"Here." Wing's Pilot handed Duo his bag and items. He stepped out in the hallway, looking down each side to try and spot a room. There was a small block on the left hand side of the west hall, probably a room.

Duo muttered and put the bag carefully over his good shoulder, watching Heero to see what the other boy would do. His ego was smarting, along with the rest of him, and he personally hoped the other pilot would be shot at as well just to even the score. Nothing fatal, just a quick graze that would bring him back down to a believable level.

It was a door, Heero discovered. It needed ID to enter though. His own had been left in the entrance door in the haste to get inside. "Duo? ID Card."

He picked the rectangular piece out of his pocket and handed it to Heero, feeling suddenly jumpy at what could be behind the locked structure.

Heero set down his coat, switching his gun to his off hand. The blue eyes narrowed as the door opened with the swipe of the card. He had his gun at the ready, prepared to fire if anything moved.

Nothing.

The Preventer did a quick one over on the room. It was a small storage room, filled with boxes of food and clothing. Nothing highly dangerous. "Clear."

Duo nodded, looking around to see if anything eye-catching was present before deciding that they likely couldn't carry much else anyway. "Well... I'm not liking this at all. Let's hurry up and get it over with."

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